I, Death
by Fin of Land
Summary: Gaara is extremely unstable. The monster incased inside his body is growing reckless. We must be careful or the monster . . . will completely escape. [The journey to Konoha for the Chuunin exams, Temari and Kankuro lovers: Beware.]
1. Chapter One: Demon

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the following characters . . . especially not Temari.

**Chapter One: Demon**

"Ugh, how long have we been walking? Gaara, can we please rest?" Kankuro whined with exhaustion.

"No," Gaara replied.

Temari gave Kankuro a warning look but he ignored it.

"Please? Only for an hour or so," insisted Kankuro with a desperate plea in his voice.

Gaara glared but did not turn around, "I said no," he reminded him.

The sun was high in the desert sky and Temari and Kankuro were panting, but Gaara showed no sign of weakness, only pure hatred at the vast sand dunes stretching far into the distance.

-

Hours after night had fallen, Gaara stopped.

"We rest here," he stated. Then walked a few paces and sat down deliberately on the top of a sand dune.

They watched him for a few seconds then took off their belongings and made themselves as comfortable as possible on the rough sand bedding.

"Kankuro," Temari whispered, "I think _it _is waking up." She said with a small strike of fear in her voice. Kankuro shuddered and nodded.

Shukaku was indeed waking up.

-

A violent kick awakened Temari.

"Get up, we're leaving," announced Gaara in a cold, desolate voice.

Kankuro was ready to go, so the journeyed onward, the desert sun at their backs.

"20 more minutes, and we'll have reached the Wind border." Kankuro said. Desperate to break the silence they had been incased in for so long.

Temari nodded and Gaara barely acknowledged his presence. Then again, this was normal.

"How far, to Konoha," Temari asked between pants of exhaustion and glanced at Kankuro, he was deep in thought.

"Two days," answered Gaara. "Now shut up and walk."

Temari chanced a quick glance at Kankuro who answered with a frightened look.

A fierce wind shook Kankuro and Temari, "Sandstorm?" asked Kankuro, they both halted and unsheathed their weapons. "Why have you stopped?" asked Gaara, there was an edge in his voice that sent chills up their spines.

Night fall was drawing closer and it was a full moon in these hours of darkness.

-

"Gaara can we sle-" Temari slammed a hand over Kankuro's mouth and eyed their younger brother warily.

"Do not talk to him," she whispered. "It's a full moon tonight, he'll kill you." Kankuro's eyes widened in realization as the light of the full moon shined into his face in menacing silvery strands.

"S-so what do we do?" he muttered to Temari.

"Just try to keep your distance," she replied. "He may overlook us as infantile." Kankuro nodded, he didn't like being called inferior but there was no messing with Gaara when he's angry, or passive, for that matter.

"Fine then, we'll just sleep over here." Kankuro murmured shakily. Temari nodded her approval.

Gaara got up from his visual atop the sand dune and started pacing, whispering to himself as he did so.

Quickly, Temari and Kankuro made their beds and struggled to fall asleep.

Of course, with a demonic personality inches away, that wasn't easy. The snippets of 'conversation' they could hear made the experience even less enjoyable.

-

When both of the sleep deprived siblings awoke, their younger brother was nowhere in sight.

"Where could he have gone?" Kankuro asked.

"There's a village up ahead," Temari answered.

"Why didn't we just sleep there," questioned a confused Kankuro.

"Gaara," Temari replied over her shoulder and started walking in direction of the village.

"Oh, right." Kankuro concluded, and followed his sister.


	2. Chapter Two: Kill

Warning: Bloody and 'torture'. Faint of heart: leave now.

-

When they arrived, the village was literally in ruins. Buildings had been utterly destroyed, corpses littered the ground, their mouths and eyes wide open in terror. Blood and gore splattered every vertical and horizontal surface.

"And we didn't hear this?" Kankuro asked in disgust and amazement. "Obviously not," whispered Temari.

They began walking through the pillaged town, a cold wind at their backs. "He could be hiding anywhere," announced Kankuro in a frightened voice.

A chilling hiss answered his statement.

"Are you afraid, big brother?" Gaara appeared behind his horrified siblings with an unsettling smile playing on his lips.

"Shall we move on to the next village?" Gaara questioned in pure ecstasy at the thought of one more slaughter.

"No Gaara, um, I think we should just, uh, keep moving." Temari stuttered, completely terrified by the fact that she had just given Gaara a direct order, and waited for their destructive sibling to react.

"Fine then, you stay here and keep the corpses company." Gaara said with an air of finality, Kankuro brought a hand to his mouth to fight off the nauseating feeling welling in his stomach. Temari gulped as sweat dripped down her forehead.

Gaara began to walk away.

"Stay if you like," Gaara formed a rod of sand in his left palm and halted for a second to prod the dead body of a young man, "Mr. Cadaver is desperate for some guests, although I'm not sure why he'd want worms like you." (bad pun not intended)

With no warning what so ever Gaara whipped around and threw his hand out with sand at his heels, the seemingly soft grains bound up tightly against their skin as they were fastened to a wall.

"Now now, don't disappoint your host," Gaara finished and walked away calmly, maniacal laughter included.

-

Whimpering like a whipped dog Kankuro looked up and down the deserted street without pause, as if he expected one of the carcasses to suddenly take life and rise up to butcher them as viscously as Gaara had it.

Temari tried to keep her cool in the situation, although that was nearly impossible.

Their younger brother had just laid carnage to an entire village, bound them to a wall, rather tightly, and walked away without a care in the world.

The harder they squirmed the further the unyielding sand pressed against their helpless bodies.

"D-do you think he'll come back for us?" stammered Kankuro.

"I don't know," Temari answered, in fear that they'd be stuck to a wall with a future of being crushed to death and themselves added to the pile of decay that would have heaped up against the wall by then.

"H-he should, I-I mean, there's the mission t-to think about," Temari stuttered.

"Since when has G-Gaara cared about a mission?" Kankuro inquired, while attempting to push away the nearest carcass with his foot.

Temari gulped and attempted to nod steadily but shivered instead.

-

The day went by with repulsing leisure.

While the sun, high in the sky, beat down on them it also fried the rotting carrion before them, bringing a revolting stench wafting to their noses.

Even more unbearable was the hunger and thirst.

"Temari," Kankuro whined. "I'm hungry!-"

"And thirsty and suffocating under this stench," She finished. "Yes! I know! I am too! Let me think!"

Kankuro snorted, then gasped as the sand suddenly bound tighter and crushed his air supply. "Wh-what's happening?" wheezed Kankuro, "I don't kn-know," Temari choked.

"Show some intelligence," ordered a voice from the shadows "I'm killing you."

Gaara stepped out from the limited darkness.

"Were you he-here all this time?" Temari gasped.

"Oh no, not at all," Gaara replied with a haunting grin, "I was busy creating more guests." Kankuro bit back a breath as bile ripped at his throat.

The sand pushed tighter at their lungs. Their breaths came in small bursts. "Gaara," a familiar voice called. "That's enough!"

Baki waltzed around the corner.


	3. Chapter Three: Dead

Warning (again): Temari and Kankuro lovers leave now.

-

"Temari was supposed to keep an eye on both of you!" Baki glared at Temari, said moronic idiot cowered as best she could.

Gaara stared at Baki, his brow twitching with irritancy.

Baki cleared his throat nervously. "We, um, we need to be at Konoha by sundown."

Baki glanced tensely at Gaara.

"What's the hurry?" Gaara questioned menacingly, "I'm not finished yet."

Again the sand stretched more rigidly against their abdomens. Kankuro whimpered as Temari let loose a long terrified wail.

"P-please Gaara, let us g-go," she faltered. Gaara sneered nonchalantly. Kankuro let out a low whimper as his life flashed before his eyes.

What was left of Gaara's heart was all they could depend on now.

With obvious hesitation Gaara dissipated the sand binding Temari and Kankuro to the wall, they fell to the ground near his feet.

With disgust Gaara backed away.

Struck with surprise that Gaara had actually listened to him Baki stood his ground while Temari and Kankuro groveled at Gaara's feet, thanking him for their lives.

The day continued on, the scorching sun at their backs.

-

Unable to labor any further, Kankuro collapsed into the burning toils of sand.

Their food shortage had begun two days ago, and with that they were all starving. Excluding Gaara, no one had ever seen him eat.

Temari immediately stopped to help him, carefully placing his arm around her shoulder and heaving him to his feet. She studied him for a moment.

Obviously Kankuro was dehydrated, and on top of that, suffering from starvation. The paint on his face was sliding off, a result of his sweat-laden forehead.

A shadow blocked the sun's glare for a brief period of bliss, until she looked up. Gaara hovered over them looking as passive as ever, though she knew he was far from.

"Get up, maggots," he sneered.

Temari straightened her posture.

"Konoha isn't far off," he waved his hand behind him, referring to a patch of vegetation, "slacking isn't an option; it never has been, has it?"

Sand swirled in his palm menacingly, the real question was: 'Would you like to die?', there was no doubt about that, considering the look in his eye.

Temari shook her head back and forth violently. 'No, I don't want to die. Please, spare me.'

"That's a shame." Gaara muttered, more to himself than to his 'older sibling'.

Temari continued their trek with renewed vigor, her other younger, less homicidal, brother, clinging to her shoulder.

-

The fortress walls of Konoha loomed into view bringing forth a relieved sigh from Baki, an ecstatic yell from Temari, still carrying the burden of Kankuro, and an ever penetrating glare from Gaara.

The only food they'd had in days was a few berries and roots mixed with water from a nearby stream to make a horribly pitiful stew.

Temari set a faster pace, though not by much, with the weight of her brother settled on right knee, making it painful to bend.

The Konoha guards spotted them and Baki held up their Chuunin exam certifications, the guards nodded their approval and stepped aside, clearing their path to fresh water and food.

Rations slid down their throats in waves, replenishing their health with energy.

Gaara's hiss broke the silence, "I'm going to check out surroundings meet me by the tall tree near the fences at 12 'o clock. Don't be late."

Kankuro and Temari nodded enthusiastically still forcing food down their mouths.

Gaara sneered in disgust and walked out the door.

Leaving them to their gluttonous findings.

-

It is officially finished.


End file.
